COMPUTERS: The Amazing Tool We Will Always Be Sorting Out

Congratulations! Your school has just received a gift or made the leap and decided to be a ’21st-century’ school and now all of your students have … COMPUTERS. Dun. dun. Dun. We know. It’s exciting because these tools provide access to so much knowledge and so many resources! It’s also terrifying because … well, the internet. We are constantly trying to sort out what it … Continue reading COMPUTERS: The Amazing Tool We Will Always Be Sorting Out

5 Ways to Trick Students Into Learning with Pokemón Go

TECHNOLOGY  It’s hardly news that most of us view the world in an augmented way—through our smartphones. And it’s not unusual to see folks wandering the streets half-blindly with eyes glued to their screens. But Pokémon Go may still have sparked a few things: it’s gotten people outside to observe the world around them. And, to any geographer’s delight, they’re using maps along the way. … Continue reading 5 Ways to Trick Students Into Learning with Pokemón Go

Educator Spotlight: What’s a Food Computer?!

Tracy Polte, this week’s Educator of the Week, blends technological problem solving with natural science education—starting as early as kindergarten. She worked with National Geographic Explorer Caleb Harper to incorporate “food computers” into classrooms. Tracy is the science department chair and STEAM coordinator—and she teaches 1st, 2nd, and 7th grade—at Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A Little Background: Who is Caleb Harper and what … Continue reading Educator Spotlight: What’s a Food Computer?!

Exploring by the Seat of Our Pants

Joe Grabowski is a sixth and eighth grade science and math teacher in Guelph, Ontario. He has been teaching for five years. My classes use technology to explore the world. In the last year and a half we’ve connected, via Skype and Google Hangout, with more than 70 scientists, explorers, and conservationists from around the world—all without ever leaving our desks. We call it “Exploring … Continue reading Exploring by the Seat of Our Pants

Homework in Northern Ireland: Minecraft

EDUCATION The wildly popular world-building game Minecraft will be made available, for free, to every secondary school in Northern Ireland. (Guardian) Check out our own collection of game-based learning activities. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. Discussion Ideas What is Minecraft? Minecraft is a game that allows players to dig (mine) and build (craft) different kinds of 3D … Continue reading Homework in Northern Ireland: Minecraft